Friday, December 14, 2012

December 14, 2012 - AUSTRALIA - It could be some time before Fisheries authorities know what killed hundreds of fish and crabs in Safety Bay this week but early indications point to low oxygen levels. Hundreds of fish including herring and flounder, blue manner crabs and eels were found dead over several days on the beach near Tern Island and the Bent Street boat ramp.

Many concerned readers contacted the Courier over the weekend after spotting the dead marine life. Department of Fisheries spokesman on fish health Paul Hillier said the department had visited the site several times this week, but had been unable to find suitable samples of fish to test – with most too decayed.

Mr Hillier said it was too early to confirm what had caused the deaths with watersamples also being tested. “From the reports received and observations of the Fisheries officers, it appears that excess weed in the water system has probably depleted the dissolved oxygen, which may have caused the fish kill,” he said.

“But the fish health researchers can’t confirm that conclusively until the appropriate testing is completed.” Mr Hillier said the public can notify authorities of a fish kill by contacting the nearest Department of Fisheries or Department of Water office or call FishWatch on 1800 815 507. - IMC.

December 14, 2012 - UNITED STATES - Back in March Infowars noted that new guidelines put forth by the Obama administration will allow US spy agencies, under the umbrella of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), to keep records on innocent Americans without oversight for up to five years. The rules on data retention were relaxed following the 2009 Christmas day underpants bomber debacle. US representatives immediately called for the NCTC’s authority to be expanded, saying that there was not enough communication between intelligence agencies.

Monolithic Intelligence Agency Collecting Info On Every American To Predict Crimes - U.S. Terrorism Agency Is Setting Up Vast Dragnet Database Of Citizens Suspected Of No Crimes.

We warned that changes in such rules would aid the already vast spying architecture that the federal government has aimed directly at the American people. This week, a report in the Wall Street Journal issues the very same warning, noting that the NCTC can use the data it collates from every US intelligence agency’s database, and analyze it to to predict possible criminal behavior of any U.S. citizen. The WSJ report notes how a head “privacy officer” at the Department of Homeland Security explained to the Obama administration that the new privacy busting powers provided to the NCTC would bring about a “sea change”. From now on, citizens interacting with the federal government are subjected to a procedure where the first question asked is”Are they a terrorist?”, according to the DHS official. The ACLU has noted that NCTC is now capable of carrying out “massive, secretive data collection and mining of trillions of points of data” regarding U.S. citizens, and that “literally anything the government collects is fair game”. The ACLU also noted that these new powers are extremely disturbing, given that the NCTC also presides over government “kill lists”, deciding which suspected terrorists are added to them via analyzing data through its “disposition matrix”. Writing in the London Guardian, Greg Greenwald recently noted “the NCTC — now vested with the power to determine the proper “disposition” of terrorist suspects — is the same agency that is at the center of the ubiquitous, unaccountable surveillance state aimed at American citizens.” - Info Wars.

From Mannequins That Are Watching You Christmas Shop To Schools RFID Tagging Kids, Here Are The 5 Creepiest Surveillance Tactics Now In Use.

(Credit: Wikimedia).

Since the erosion of Americans’ civil liberties depends on high levels of public apathy, some of the most dangerous privacy breaches take place incrementally and under the radar; if it invites comparisons to Blade Runner or Orwell, then someone in the PR department didn’t do their job. Meanwhile, some of the biggest threats to privacy, like insecure online data or iPhone GPS tracking, are physically unobtrusive and therefore easily ignored. And it’ll be at least a year or two until the sky is overrun by spy drones. So when a method of surveillance literally resembles a prop or plot point in a sci-fi movie, it helps to reveal just how widespread and sophisticated commercial and government monitoring has become. Here are five recent developments that seem almost unreal in their dystopian creepiness.

1. Buses and street cars that can hear what you say. You can’t really go anywhere in America without being tracked by surveillance cameras. But seeing what people do is not enough; according to a report by the Daily, cities all over the country are literally bugging public transportation. In San Francisco, city officials have plans to install surveillance cameras that record sound on 357 buses and trolley cars, the Daily reported. Eugene, Oregon and Columbus, Hartford and Athens, Georgia, also have audio recording plans in the works. The systems have the capacity to filter background noise and hone in on passengers’ conversations.

2. Mannequins that can see you. A handful of retailers in the US and Europe are installing mannequins in their stores that can determine customers’ age, gender and race, Bloomberg reported last month. Don’t worry, the face recognition-equipped camera is hidden, so there is no way to tell whether the giant plastic dolls in the store are watching you as you shop.

3. Biometric time clocks. For too long, employers lacked the ability to extract every second of labor from their workers with scientific precision. Thanks to the wonders of face recognition technology, many employees in low-wage workplaces are now required to log in to work on face recognition readers instead of using key cards or codes. Biometric time clocks like FaceIn, most commonly used at construction sites, create an avatar of the workers’ face that the machine keeps forever and that ages alongside the employee. Allegedly, it can tell twins apart.

4. Tagging children. It’s probably best to train people in robotic discipline early, and many US schools, aided by surveillance technology vendors, are on it. Last month, a Texas sophomore sued her school district for making students carry RFID chips that tracked their movements, but that’s just the start. School administrators all over the country use CCTV cameras, RFID chips, and GPS tracking to moniter where students go and what they do.

5. Biometric databases. Federal agencies ranging from the DoD to the FBI to the DHS are revamping their databases to include iris scans, voice patterning, measures of gait, face recognition, and records of scars and tattoos. They also have a mandate to indiscriminately share this information between agencies and with unnamed foreign entities. - Salon.

Futuristic Handcuffs Will Administer Shocks And Drugs To Force Compliance.

(Credit: Patent Bolt).

Sometimes an invention comes along that makes you excited about the future. For a long time, it seems that handcuffs have been stuck in the movies of old. They restrain you, but, odd for our interactive world, that's all they seem to do. Might I tempt you toward futuristic handcuffs that will offer you a small involuntary judder?... The patent is called "Apparatus and System For Augmented Detainee Restraint." The augmentations it offers are truly quite something. You see, these handcuffs are "configured to administer electrical shocks when certain predetermined conditions occur." These shocks might be "activated by internal control systems or by external controllers that transmit activation signals to the restraining device." This progressive tool is the brainchild of Scottsdale Inventions... these handcuffs might also be used to, well, inject the detained with who knows what -- to achieve "any desired result." - CNET.

Invisible And Trackable Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink For Placing Mark On People And Animals Developed.

Somark Innovations announced this week that it successfully tested biocompatible RFID ink, which can be read through animal hairs. The passive RFID technology could be used to identify and track cows to reduce financial losses from Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (mad cow disease) scares. Somark, which formed in 2005, is located at the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis. The company is raising Series A equity financing and plans to license the technology to secondary markets, which could include laboratory animals, dogs, cats, prime cuts of meat, and military personnel. Chief scientist Ramos Mays said the tests provide a true proof-of-principle and mitigate most of the technological risks in terms of the product's performance. "This proves the ability to create a synthetic biometric or fake fingerprint with biocompatible, chipless RFID ink and read it through hair," he said. Co-founder Mark Pydynowski said during an interview Wednesday that the ink doesn't contain any metals and can be either invisible or colored. He declined to say what is in the ink, but said he's certain that it is 100% biocompatible and chemically inert. - Information Week.

Beastly Systems For Buying And Selling By Means Of Head And Hand Scanning Being Developed And Field Tested By Average Persons All Over The World.

EyeVerify segments images to find regions of interest (ROI).
There are 4 ROIs to segment (left and right side of each eye).

With so much of our banking and interactions taking place on our mobile phones, we still live with a false sense of security because it doesn't take much for someone to hack our phones. By using more unique identifiers — biometrics such as eyes, rather than passwords — corporations and banks may have a more secure way to authenticate our identity. EyeVerify makes biometric technology which uses eye vein patterns. CEO Toby Rush says "no one can pretend to be you with an eye print. Most eye verification technologies lack 'liveness' detection. With EyeVerify, you can't fake it with photos or videos. You have to stand in front of your camera on any smartphone." EyeVerify implements a vein biometrics system that only requires software and the device's camera. It allows mobile users to authorize transactions and access secure information. Using the camera on the phone, the software can determine 4 ROIs (regions of interest) in your eye, sending a pass/fail and a confidence interval. If it passes, you are granted access to the application. If it fails, access is denied. - Information Week.

U.N. Conference Slyly Introduces Resolution To Gain Control of Internet—In Middle Of Night.

In the middle of the night at a U.N. conference in Dubai, the presiding chairman of the International Telecommunication Union conference surveyed the assembled countries to see whether there was interest in having greater involvement in the U.N. governing the Internet. A majority of countries gave their approval. With a sufficient majority supporting the U.N. becoming more active in controlling the Internet, the chairman put forth a resolution. The chairman, though, insisted the survey "was not a vote." The resolution was supported by Cuba, Algeria, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia; the United States opposed it. The proposed resolution resolves that the secretary general of the U.N. "continue to take the necessary steps for ITU to play an active and constructive role in the multi-stakeholder model of the Internet," according to a draft of the text. "While it is our understanding that the resolutions made at the WCIT are non-binding, the Secretary-General might treat them as binding, which effectively creates a dangerous mandate for the ITU to continue to hold discussions about internet policy into the future," accessnow.org writes, responding to this proposed text. - Weekly Standard.

Hopefully You Already Know That Your TV And Computer Can Watch You. But Verizon Has A Creepy Idea To Take Spying On TV Viewers Even Further.

A couple snuggling in front of the TV could end up getting bombarded by commercials for romantic vacations, flowers or even condoms and birth control pills. That creepy invasion-of-privacy scenario comes from a Verizon patent idea that envisions spying on TV viewers for the sake of serving up related ads. Verizon aims to track the behavior of TV watchers as they sing happy songs, play with a pet dog, or enjoy some supposedly private time with a loved one on the couch. The tracking system would then search terms related to the behaviors it sees — such as "cuddling" or "romance" — and present viewers with TV ads related to that topic during commercial breaks, according to the patent filing first discovered by FierceCable. The romance scenario is just one example detailed in the patent filing. But Verizon also describes the capability to detect a person's mood from whether he or she is singing or humming a "happy" song, so that it can select ads geared for happy people. - Yahoo.

Lawmakers Propose Bar Codes And RFID Transponders For Car Plates.

Some drivers are enjoying a free ride through automatic tolls in Virginia, but budget-conscious lawmakers in Richmond may be eager to close the gap. A 76-page study on license plates, prepared by the Department of Motor Vehicles, was provided to legislators Monday. The study found that toll cameras can fail to read a variety of license plates. Problem plates for the cameras include some personalized license plates, older, worn plates, plates that are framed or covered in plastic and plates splashed with mud or obscured by trailer hitches. The study estimates the Commonwealth loses between $65,446.73 and $70,474.73 each year from unreadable plates. Lawmakers are being offered a number of ideas and recommendations to improve automatic toll collection. The Department of Motor Vehicles suggests that all new plate designs be tested by toll cameras before being approved. Lawmakers are learning that license plate manufacturers are developing bar codes for plates that could improve their readability by toll cameras. Another possibility is the use of radio frequency identification -- transponders that could be embedded into license plates. - WTOP.

Samsung TVs Can Be Hacked to Spy On Viewers.

A security firm has discovered a vulnerability in Samsung’s ‘Smart’ TVs that allows the devices to be hacked which, if left unpatched, would permit the system’s microphone and camera to used to spy on the viewer. Similar to an XBox Kinect, the Samsung ’Smart Hub’ line of televisions allows users to control the television via physical gestures and voice control. A high definition camera is also used by the device to allow Skype calls. The device also includes facial recognition technology. However, these features can also be hijacked to turn the television into a modern day equivalent of George Orwell’s telescreen. - Info Wars.

A small swarm of earthquakes has started today about 10 km west of the Askja volcano caldera in Iceland.

Activity of Popocatépetl
volcano in Mexico has picked up a bit again. During 13-14 Dec, gas and
steam emissions have increased to more than 2 per hour again. The larger
ones were at 11:13 h, 11:19 h yesterday and today at 09:23 h and 09:31
local time. These produced plumes rising more than 1 km and drifting NE.
Crater glow was seen at night.

4 weak explosions were observed at Fuego volcano during the past 24 hours; the lava flow was 200 m long this morning.

Activity of Santiaguito has not changed, the strongly degassing dome continues to produce viscous lava flows descending its flanks.

Explosion at Tungurahua Volcano on Friday.

Numerous small volcanic earthquakes have recently been occurring at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador. According to Earthquake-Report.com, these likely reflect input of new (hotter) volcanic fluids beneath the cone.
A sudden strong ash explosion occurred at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador on Friday at 14:35 local time. According to local reports, the eruption produced an ash plume rising to 6 km altitude and was visible from Ambato, Riobamba, Pelileo and Patate. The explosion followed an increase in seismicity over the past days.

A strong pulse of volcanic tremor and volcanic earthquakes occurred at Reventador volcano
earlier today, suggesting a possible small emission. Visible
observations remain difficult due to cloud cover and there are no other
reports of activity.

In Japan, Sakurajima volcano has produced more frequent explosions of small to moderate size, 6 during yesterday and 3 so far (GMT time).

Increased numbers of small earthquakes were visible at Tongariro and Ruapehu volcano in New Zealand.

At White Island
volcano, continuous volcanic tremor continues to be visible. We have no
news about whether the observed new lava dome has changed.

December 14, 2012 - INDONESIA - Indonesia has identified the bird flu virus that killed hundreds of thousands of ducks in recent weeks as a more virulent type which is new to the country, according to a letter seen Tuesday. "We found a highly pathogenic avian influenza sub-type H5N1 (virus) with clade 2.3..." the agriculture ministry's veterinary chief Syukur Iwantoro said in the letter obtained by AFP.

File photo of a government veterinarian worker spraying anti-bird flu disinfectant over birds and fowls at
Medan city market in North Sumatra province on January 26, 2012. (AFP/Sutanta Aditya).

"This clade is a new clade found for the first time in Indonesia, that is very different to the avian influenza found before, which is clade 2.1." A clade is a group of organisms, usually species, with a common ancestor. A poultry breeders' association had reported the death of more than 300,000 ducks in several provinces on Java island since November to the ministry. The veterinary office found the H5N1 virus involved was a different clade to that usually found in Indonesia, said Iwantoro's letter to local government offices and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Iwantoro called for further research into whether there had been a genetic shift in the virus previously found in the country, or whether the new strain originated overseas.

"There is a suspicion that the virus has spread from other countries, possibly from Vietnam or Thailand," Emil Agustiono, secretary of the national commission of zoonosis control that oversees bird flu, told AFP. Health officials have told local governments to stop and check motorbikes and pick-up trucks commonly used to transport poultry, to try to reduce the spread of the virus. The health ministry has told local offices to be vigilant for more massive poultry deaths, or for deaths of people in the vicinity, its head of communicable disease Tjandra Yoga Aditama told AFP. Bird flu typically spreads from birds to humans through direct contact, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that is easily transmissible between humans. Indonesia has suffered the world's worst human fatalities from bird flu with 159 deaths since 2003 out of 359 worldwide, according to the WHO. - Channel News Asia.

December 14, 2012 - LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES - The following transcript and accompanied video comes from fellow YouTube contributor rainbeaudias. In his latest update on the Louisiana sinkhole, he details shocking evidence of methane gas bubbling in Bayou Corne near the giant sinkhole and dead fish "all over the place".

Image from the video.

The water level was low as is normal for this time of year, and muddy from a recent heavy rain. This was my first sight of these methane gas under pressure bubbling sites down the bayou approx 1/2 mile from the homes on the south side of Hwy 70. Nothing I have seen on the news, or on the APPJ flicker photo site prepared me for what I saw going on. I was shocked, and so very heavy hearted after seeing what I saw. It was very chilling, knowing of all the gas under us, but also knowing of the massive (unknown location) voids in the earth. There was a direct path of water coming from the sinkhole and draining in to the bayou at the pipeline row, and several others, none contained. Texas Brine and the other agencies seem to think that little boom they have at the sinkhole is enough. I disagree. The booms do not stop the saltwater. We saw only one small alligator in about 30 minutes, and lots of dead fish. If there are this many bubbling sites in the water where they are easily seen, we can only dare to imagine how many are on land, and in the swamps between the sinkhole and the homes west of the sinkhole....that we don't know of. - rainbeaudias.

December 14, 2012 - CHILE- One jolt hit in the middle of the night. Another caught fishermen at a nearby beach. Then the ground shook at supper. And then again, and again: More than 170 tremors were felt in Navidad in just five weeks. The strongest struck during a funeral, and sent panicked mourners fleeing into the street. Navidad, a coastal farming town of 5,500 people, has become one of the shakiest spots in one of the world’s shakiest countries. And seismologists can’t say whether these were aftershocks from Chile’s devastating quake two years ago, or warnings of another huge disaster to come.

Navidenos, though, have learned to take quakes in stride. In this town whose name means Christmas, some decorate Christmas trees with quakes in mind, wiring ornaments to the branches or taking extra efforts to secure the base. Restaurant owners nail wood railings to their shelves to keep glasses and liquor from crashing down. Some now use canned beer, shunning bottles as too risky. Children at public schools practice drills every day and everyone seems to have a quake bag with flashlights and food ready. “We were born, grew up and were raised with earthquakes,” acting Mayor Rodrigo Soto said. “It seems like the world for the first time has discovered Navidad. Everyone asks us if we’re scared and all we can say is that we need to be prepared.” Still, no amount of preparation can avoid that panicky feeling when the ground really rumbles. There’s no way to know at that moment whether the shaking will pass quickly, or become frighteningly worse.

While the ground shook under the pews at the funeral, the faces of the mourners turned pale like the dead. Despite appeals for calm, the church swayed so much that people panicked and ran outside. “People were terrorized,” said Carolina Jeria, recalling that 5.9-magnitude quake on Nov. 21. “In a moment like that, you lose control. We’re very worried about the quakes because the big one in 2010 caught us unprepared.” Soto says the town still has an inadequate tsunami alert system — a siren that sounds like a car alarm and lacks the volume needed to reach all the townspeople. But after so many tremors, he says Navidenos know in their bones when to run. They know they’ll barely feel a magnitude-2, but a magnitude-7 will knock them off their feet and that’s a sign to scramble for high ground in case there’s a tsunami.

Aside from the quakes, life is slow in Navidad. Many farmers still use oxen to plow their land, while others cater to tourists who come for the Pacific beaches from Chile’s capital of Santiago, 170 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of town. Yet people are often on edge. It’s not just the ground’s trembling that reminds people of earthquake risks here. Alongside the highway into town, wildflowers grow around tsunami warning signs that urge residents to build their homes high or be prepared to run for higher ground. So far, the recent tremors have not caused damage or injuries, but they’re a frequent reminder of the 8.8-magnitude quake and tsunami in 2010 that devastated much of Chile’s coast, including Navidad. That quake killed 551 people, destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away docks and seaside resorts, costing Chile $30 billion, or 18 percent of its annual gross domestic product. - Washington Post.

December 14, 2012 - NIGERIA - Over a week after the mysterious death of about 1,600 sheep in Tungan Madugu village of Gwadabawa local government area of Sokoto State, residents of the community say they are still afraid of eating meat. "We did not buy meat within those days that the animals were dying and even now, we are afraid of buying meat," one local resident told Daily Trust. The animals, which were said to belong to Fulani nomads from Niger Republic, reportedly died after drinking from an open well at Gidan Jihadi village in neighbouring Kware local government area.

Village head of Tungan Madugu, Mal. Mohammed Lawali, said when the herdsmen, about six in number, came with their herds into the village, they noticed that the animals were getting ailing and dying. Upon inquiry, the herdsmen said they suspected the water the animals drank at a village before coming there. "The Fulanis gave the dying sheep tins of liquid milk as first aid but to no avail," the village head said adding that about 600 herds still alive were quickly immunized by health authorities. He said the animals' carcasses were burnt to prevent dubious persons from selling the meet to unsuspecting consumers. The villagers said there was no reported case of consumption of the animals in question. Mal Lawali alleged that when the herdsmen saw that the sheep were dying, they attempted to sell them off at give away prices, but leaders of the community drew the attention of the public to the fact that the animals were sick and therefore not fit for human consumption.

"Some people came to buy the sick animals but we made it clear that they were not okay for consumption," he said, adding that "the villagers monitored the situation and ensured that the animals were not sold." At Gidan Jihadi village where the well at the centre of controversy is situated, the village head Shehu Magaji said the well in question had been abandoned for sometimes. "We have other wells which we are using," he said. Magaji said the well was actually covered but the herdsmen opened it when they wanted to fetch water for their herds. "We later saw a dead fowl in the well," he stated. During Daily Trust visit to the Tungan Madugu village there were still tales and signs of the dead animals. Our reporter saw parts of those that were burnt. Permanent Secretary Sokoto State Ministry of Animal Health, Alhaji Shehu Bawa, said samples of the death animals and water from the well were taken for examination in the state and at the National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Plateau State. According to him, immediately the incident happened, staffs of the ministry were mobilized to the abattoir and livestock market to create awareness and warned butchers against buying such animals. - All Africa.

December 14, 2012 - PUERTO RICO - Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the debt of Puerto Rico to just above junk status on Thursday, putting pressure on the governor-elect, Alejandro García-Padilla, to show credible plans for staving off a crisis.

Although Puerto Rico’s economic difficulties are no secret to investors, its debt is widely held, thanks to its unusual exemption from all federal, state and local income taxes across the United States. If the commonwealth’s creditworthiness were to fall below investment grade, some institutional investors would be required to sell their holdings.

A downgrade would also make it more expensive for Puerto Rico to raise money, something it has had to do every year to finance government operations.

Moody’s said in its report that its outlook for Puerto Rico remained negative. It cited concern about Puerto Rico’s high level of indebtedness and its shrinking population. Moody’s also expressed concern about the island’s pension system for government workers, which is considered one of the weakest in the United States.

The downgrade to Baa3 puts Moody’s assessment of Puerto Rico a notch below that of Standard & Poor’s. Shortly after November’s election, S&P issued a statement that there was a one-in-three chance it would downgrade Puerto Rico by early 2013. - NY Times.

December 14, 2012 - NEW ZEALAND - Visitors to Oreti Beach near Invercargill in recent days will have noticed the bodies of thousands of bluebottle jellyfish washed up on the sand. Department of Conservation biodiversity programme manager Jessyca Bernard - who said she was "99.9 per cent certain" they were bluebottle jellyfish - warned they were dangerous even when dead.

People who saw them on the beach should not touch them and should keep their pets away from them, she said. "They may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the creature or the detachment of the tentacles." If stung an allergic reaction could follow and those affected should seek medical assistance, she said.

When alive and in the ocean the gas-filled bladders of the jellyfish remained on the water's surface and the remainder of the body including tentacles were submerged, she said.

Because they had no means of propulsion they were moved along by a combination of winds, currents, and tides, often congregating in thousands and sometimes being blown onto beaches.

Ms Bernard said when the jellyfish were blown onto the beach their tentacles invariably detached from the bodies and washed into the sand, leaving only the bladders and jelly of the jellyfish, which varied between 9 centimetres to 30cm in size, visible to the public on the beach. - Stuff.

December 14, 2012 - UNITED STATES - New Mexico is about to get hit by another winter storm. The National Weather Service says a winter storm system is approaching the state from the west and is expects to dump snow on parts of New Mexico overnight.

Widespread rain and snow showers will develop around the southwest mountains before midnight with significant snow accumulation in the higher terrain expected and precipitation to spread north and east overnight. The weather service says and strong winds are expected to accompany the storm system. Much of western and northern New Mexico will remain under winter storm warnings and advisories. - KRQE.

A blast of winter is bringing more rain and snow to parts of New Mexico, resulting in school closures and difficult driving conditions. The highest mountain peaks in northern New Mexico could see as much as a foot of snow, but National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier says the system is fairly warm and snow levels shouldn't drop low enough for Santa Fe or Albuquerque to see more than occasional flurries. School let out early Friday in Santa Fe and Los Alamos, and employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory were sent home early because of the inclement weather. The state Transportation Department says crews in northern New Mexico were seeing light snow Friday afternoon as they spread salt and cinder on the roadways. Difficult driving conditions were reported along Interstate 25 near Raton, but transportation officials say no roads are closed. - MYSA.

December 14, 2012 - CHINA - As believers across the globe prepare for the forecast Mayan apocalypse, a Chinese villager says he’s going to save humanity with his giant tsunami proof survival pods. ­The pods are made using a fiberglass casing over a steel frame, cost $48,000 each to make and are equipped with oxygen tanks, food and water supplies. They also come with seat belts – essential for surviving in storms.

Farmer Liu Qiyuan posing with survival pods that he created and dubbed 'Noah's Arc', in the village of
Qiantun, Hebei province, south of Beijing (AFP Photo / Ed Jones).

“The pod won’t have any problems even if there are 1,000 meter high waves, its like a ping pong ball, its skin may be thin but it can withstand a lot of pressure,” the balls’ creator Liu Qiyuan, told AFP from his workshop outside Beijing. “The pods are designed to carry 14 people at a time, but it’s possible for 30 people to survive inside for at least two months,” insisted Liu Indeed, their insulation is such that “a person could live for four months in the pod at the north or south pole without freezing,” Liu continued. Liu explained that he was inspired into making the spheres after seeing the Hollywood disaster film “2012”, which is itself inspired by the expiry of the Mayan calendar on the 21st December 2012. The Mayans were an ancient American civilization whose 5000 year old calendar shortly ends. “If there really is some kind of apocalypse then you could say I’ve made a contribution to the survival of humanity,” said Liu.

Despite their tough design Liu is yet to sell any of the pods and he’s worried about paying back the loans he took out to build them. “I worked for many years without saving much money…invested most of my money in the pods, because it’s worth it, it’s about saving lives,” he said. But Liu isn’t alone in his bid to save mankind. A businessman in China’s eastern Zhejiang province has built 21 similar spherical survival pods which he’s called “Noah’s Ark” and sells for 5 million yuan each. While another Chinese man from the northwestern Xinjiang province invested all his life savings of $160,000 to build an ark in case his home is flooded out. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have sought to reassure citizens that the world is not going to end on December 21st. Beijing police have posted an online notice telling people that “the so-called end of the world is a rumor” and citizens should instead use “scientific concepts.” - RT.

December 14, 2012 - JAPAN - Earthquake faults beneath the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture could be active and dangerous, a regulator said Friday. Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioner Kunihiko Shimazaki made this revelation at a press conference after a two-day on-the-spot survey of the plant, which currently has one Tohoku Electric Power Co. reactor but, according to plans, will have another one built for the utility as well as two constructed for and run by Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Shimazaki and other survey participants will meet Thursday to consider the results of their probe. If the regulators suspect the faults are active, it may be difficult for Tohoku Electric to restart the now-offline reactor amid safety concerns stemming from the triple-meltdown disaster at Tepco's Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The experts Thursday confirmed four crush zones, including those running near the reactor 1 building. They continued the survey Friday to determine when the zones moved and find out whether there is any possibility they will move again. Tohoku Electric has offered the explanation that fault slips under the plant site are caused by changes in groundwater levels. But Shimazaki said Thursday he can't accept that explanation.

Survey team member Yota Kumaki, a professor at Senshu University, said the same day Tohoku Electric's claim raises many questions. Another team member, Hiroshi Sato, a professor at the University of Tokyo, said he can't understand on what grounds the company drew such a conclusion. Tohoku Electric maintains there are no active faults beneath the plant and thus there are no safety concerns. The plant is the third nuclear power station to be inspected by the NRA for possible active faults, following Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi plant and Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga plant, both in Fukui Prefecture. None of the earlier probes has reached a conclusion. Following the latest survey, the agency plans to conduct on-site fault studies at Hokuriku Electric Power Co.'s Shika plant in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kepco's Mihama plant and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency's Monju fast-breeder reactor, both in Fukui. - Japan Times.

December 14, 2012 - BEIJING, CHINA - Twenty-two primary school children were wounded in a knife attack Friday in central China, authorities said.

Wei Jingru, a primary school student injured in a knife attack, receives medical treatment in a hospital.

The attack took place at the entrance to the Chenpeng Village Primary School in Henan province, according to the public information department of Guangshan county, the area where the school is located. An adult was also wounded, it said.

Several of the children are in critical condition, the state-run website Chinanews.com said, citing local authorities.

Police say they have detained a suspect, a 36-year-old man from the village, state media reported.

China was hit by a spate of knife and cleaver attacks that targeted school children in 2010.

A number of measures were introduced at the time, including increased security at schools across the country and a regulation requiring people to register with their national ID cards when buying large knives. - CNN.

December 14, 2012 - CONNECTICUT, UNITED STATES - The Associated Press, citing an official with knowledge of the shooting, said 18 children were among the 27 dead. One shooter, the father of a student at the school, was also killed CBS News reported. Reports of a second gunman were unconfirmed. Witnesses said at least 100 rounds were fired during the attack. The school principal and psychologist were among those killed, CNN reported. The Hartford Courant reported that one entire classroom of students was still missing outside the school. One group of students was still unaccounted for, according to ABC, which quoted a source with a child in the school. A news conference was set to be held at 6pm BST. "It was horrendous," said parent Brenda Lebinski, who rushed to the school, where her daughter is in the third grade. "Everyone was in hysterics - parents, students. There were kids coming out of the school bloodied. I don't know if they were shot, but they were bloodied."

Connecticut State Police lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn, after
a gunman opened fire there on Dec 14, 2012. Photo: AP Photo/Newtown Bee, Shannon Hick.

A girl interviewed by NBC Connecticut described hearing seven loud "booms" as she was in gym class. Other children began crying and teachers moved the students to a nearby office, she said. "A police officer came in and told us to run outside and so we did," the unidentified girl said on camera. Stephen Delgiadice, whose eight-year-old daughter attends the school, said she heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter escaped the attack unharmed. "It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America," he said. One mother told CBS News the scene was like a "war zone". Her son had bullets whizzing by him in the school hallway, she said, until a teacher pulled him into a classroom. SWAT teams were rushed to the school in the aftermath of the shooting. Danbury Hospital had received three patients from the scene, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC Connecticut.

The hospital has also been placed on lockdown. The mayor of Danbury, Mark Boughton, told MSNBC: "They are very serious injuries." One child was carried from Sandy Hook Elementary School by a police officer, and the child appeared to have been wounded, the town's weekly newspaper, the Newtown Bee, said on its website. Television images showed police and ambulances at the scene, and parents rushing toward the school. Danbury Hospital, about 11 miles (18 km) west of the school, had been put on alert for possible casualties, a hospital spokesman told Reuters. Connecticut State Police said its officers were at the scene with local police but provided no additional details. The emergency call to police occurred at 9.41 am, state police said. An individual answering the phone at the Newtown Police Department declined to comment. Newtown, with a population about 27,000, is in northern Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 80 miles northeast of New York City. Sandy Hook serves children in kindergarten through fourth grade, roughly ages 5 to 10. It is one of four elementary schools in the district. The town also has a grade 5-6 school, a middle school and a high school. The United States has experienced a number of mass shooting rampages this year, most recently in Oregon, where a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall on Tuesday, killing two people and then himself. The deadliest attack came in July at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Colorado that killed 12 people. - Telegraph.

December 14, 2012 - UNITED STATES - Two violent earthquakes hit the southern cost of California this Friday morning at approximately 2:30 a.m. The first to hit was a 6.3 magnitude quake 262km SSW of Avalon, California the second quake was a 6.1 magnitude reading with an epicenter 142km SW of Avalon, California. The second earthquake was later downgraded to a 4.7 by the USGS. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mag: 6.3 – Depth: 10 km – off the west coast Of Baja California – and the 4.7 magnitude earthquake. 175 km from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States.

Witnesses in Anaheim say they felt a slow smooth whirlpool rolling shake. Another witness in Ocean Beach, San Diego, was quoted as saying “Been through many, this was the longest feeling one, my 2nd story 100 year old apt, the floor swayed and twisted. In Hillcrest they’re saying they felt a strong seemingly long quake. Inglewood says “It was crazy it didn’t wake me up but the dog did. Pico Rivera, say they felt a subtle sway and shake. Lamp and windows shook. Coronado witnesses say nothing fell off walls but certainly the house shook. here in San Diego, just felt my couch shaking from that quake a little while ago… very eerie! Folks in La Jolla say they felt a gentle shake. Spring Valley witness says it woke her up. An Anaheim witness told us she was awake for odd reason then started feeling the earthquake. She says it frightened. In her words: “I hope the world doesn’t really end. There were many more disturbed by these two quakes. Earthquake shaking in the eastern United States can travel much farther and cause damage over larger areas than previously thought, but these quakes were south west of that part of the U.S. U.S. Geological Survey scientists found that last year’s magnitude 5.8 earthquake in Virginia triggered landslides at distances four times farther—and over an area 20 times larger—than previous research has shown. There are no reports of damage or lost of life. While we were yet compiling this report another 5.1 quake hit the southern coast of California. - Guardian Express.

Seismotectonics of Mexico.
Located atop three of the large tectonic plates, Mexico is one of the world's most seismologically active regions. The relative motion of these crustal plates causes frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions. Most of the Mexican landmass is on the westward moving North American plate. The Pacific Ocean floor south of Mexico is being carried northeastward by the underlying Cocos plate. Because oceanic crust is relatively dense, when the Pacific Ocean floor encounters the lighter continental crust of the Mexican landmass, the ocean floor is subducted beneath the North American plate creating the deep Middle American trench along Mexico's southern coast. Also as a result of this convergence, the westward moving Mexico landmass is slowed and crumpled creating the mountain ranges of southern Mexico and earthquakes near Mexico's southern coast. As the oceanic crust is pulled downward, it melts; the molten material is then forced upward through weaknesses in the overlying continental crust. This process has created a region of volcanoes across south-central Mexico known as the Cordillera Neovolcánica.

The area west of the Gulf of California, including Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, is moving northwestward with the Pacific plate at about 50 mm per year. Here, the Pacific and North American plates grind past each other creating strike-slip faulting, the southern extension of California's San Andreas fault. In the past, this relative plate motion pulled Baja California away from the coast forming the Gulf of California and is the cause of earthquakes in the Gulf of California region today. Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In September 1985, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City. In southern Mexico, Volcán de Colima and El Chichón erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively. Paricutín volcano, west of Mexico City, began venting smoke in a cornfield in 1943; a decade later this new volcano had grown to a height of 424 meters. Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanos ("smoking mountain" and "white lady", respectively), southeast of Mexico City, occasionally vent gas that can be clearly seen from the City, a reminder that volcanic activity is ongoing. In 1994 and 2000 Popocatépetl renewed its activity forcing the evacuation of nearby towns, causing seismologists and government officials to be concerned about the effect a large-scale eruption might have on the heavily populated region. Popocatépetl volcano last erupted in 2010. - USGS.

December 14, 2012 - AUSTRALIA - A 'ONCE IN 50-years storm' dumped more than 100mm of rain on Harvey and the Mandurah-Rockingham area overnight and thunderstorms today have left more than 2000 people without power. The unseasonal weather across WA's south has given Mandurah its wettest December day on record, while heavy rainfall at Harvey -- 109mm overnight -- has been described as a "one-in-100-year event''. The Bureau of Meteorology's senior forecaster Neil Bennett said more than 100mm of rainfall had fallen at Harvey, 130km south of Perth. Bunbury, where residents are reporting it hasn't stopped raining since yesterday, has had 87mm and Collie had 110mm to 4.30pm.

Amaroo Primary School and Allanson Primary School in Collie both received some flooding this morning as a result of the heavy rainfall. Department of Education spokesman David Axworthy said the schools were closed because of the severe weather. "We don't take any chances and must protect students and staff from flooding," he said. Both schools will reopen tomorrow. People in Collie and surrounding areas have been warned to take action as moderate to major flooding is expected on Thursday. The Collie River at Rose Road is currently below the minor flood level but is rising and may exceed the level later today with forecasted rainfall. Thunderstorms are predicted to continue into Thursday Water will be fast flowing and levels will rise quickly. Thunderstorms are forecast to continue today and into Thursday, prompting the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) to warn of possible minor flooding in the shires of Harvey, Murray and Waroona. "There are already signs of rapid river rises in the Harvey area,'' Mr Bennett said. Mandurah, 74km south of Perth, has so far received more than 74mm of rain. This was a once-in-50-year event, Mr Bennett said. The storms have also led to minor flooding across some parts of Perth, while Rockingham Hospital to the city's south has sustained flood damage. The powerful thunderstorms caused flooding, and left a trail of minor damage and flooding which blacked out more than 6000 homes mainly in the Rockingham and Cannington areas. Further thunderstorms this afternoon have caused new faults in Western Power's network and left more than 6000 people without power. The worst affected areas are Shoalwater, Cannington, Rockingham and Safety Bay. Western Power crews are working to safely restore power to homes and businesses.

The Bureau of Meteorology has renewed a storm warning for a large slab of the southern half of the state, including Perth. "Very heavy rainfall, which may lead to flash flooding with once in 50-year rainfall intensities, has been observed in the areas between Mandurah and Harvey,'' the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. "Storms may be accompanied by damaging winds.'' The DFES warned the storms could damage homes and make travel dangerous. An 18-year-old man died early today after his car rolled on rain-soaked South West Highway, near Wokalup, 140km south of Perth. Western Power are working to restore power to about 2000 homes. SES volunteers took more than 130 calls from people reporting minor damage and flooding as the thunderstorm hit the regions south of Perth. Rockingham was worst affected, with 90 calls for help. Six SES teams were mobilised to respond to residents who required assistance. Some traffic lights in the metro area were also blacked out by the storm. The storms brought heavy downpours to many centres south of Perth with Harvey recording 109mm, Mandurah 74mm in 24 hours to 9am, Mandurah's wettest December day on record. Residents in Cambridge Crescent, Coolongup, near Rockingham, reported that strong winds tore down trees, powerlines, caused roof damage and minor flooding. Garden Island had 39mm to 9am. By 7am, another huge rain system was bearing down on the Peel-Mandurah region and storm clouds were building over southern Perth suburbs. Champion Lakes recorded 49.4mm of rain from 9am today, while Perth Airport received 11.8mm. - Daily Telegraph.

December 14, 2012 - SRI LANKA - The Sri Lanka Air Force states that it is keeping a twenty four hour vigil regarding the unidentified lights that were witnessed in the skies over several parts of the country in the recent past.

SLAF Media Spokesperson Wing Commander Shiras Jalaldeen said that no unidentified airborne craft had been picked up on radar as yet.

Meanwhile, unidentified lights were witnessed in the skies over several parts of the country, on Monday as well.

An unidentified light was witnessed in the skies above Hambegamuwa in Thanamalwila at around 8.30 on Monday night.

Meanwhile, this unidentified light was captured on a mobile phone camera, in the eastern skies above Ambalanthota.

An unidentified light was also recorded on a mobile phone camera in the skies above Ihalayagoda in Gampaha.

What are these unidentified lights? If they are not UFOs, then who is responsible for informing the public as to what they are? - News Ist.

December 14, 2012 - ICELAND - A total of 1,500 earthquakes hit in Iceland last month.

Archive photo from Grímsvötn. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.

According to data from the Icelandic Met Office, the most seismic activity—or a total of 750 earthquakes—occurred in Eyjafjorour, which was also the location of the strongest earthquake, of a magnitude 3.8, mbl.is reports.

In late November, a minor glacial outburst flood was reported in Grimsvotn volcano in Vatnajökull glacier. GPS data shows that the ice level had decreased, a strong indication that a flood had started. The flood reached its peak on November 26.

December 14, 2012 - SUN - Solar activity continues at low levels with only low level C-Class activity detected within the past 24 hours. Old region 1620 is now rotating back into view off the eastern limb and a small spot is visible. There will remain a chance for C-Class flares, particularly around Sunspots 1629 and 1631. A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is visible in the latest STEREO Ahead imagery this morning and was the result of a prominence eruption near the western limb. The plasma cloud looks to be headed mostly towards the west.

IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 12/2100Z to 13/2100Z: Solar activity has been at low levels for the past 24 hours. The largest solar event of the period was a C1/Sf event observed at 13/1922Z from Region 1632 (N17W28). There are currently 4 numbered sunspot regions on the disk.

IB. Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is likely to be low on days one, two, and three (14 Dec, 15 Dec, 16 Dec).

IIA. Geophysical Activity Summary 12/2100Z to 13/2100Z: The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels for the past 24 hours. Solar wind speed, as measured by the ACE spacecraft, reached a peak speed of 327 km/s at 13/0111Z. Total IMF reached 7 nT at 13/0123Z. The maximum southward component of Bz reached -5 nT at 12/2153Z.

IIB. Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet levels for days one and two (14 Dec, 15 Dec). Quiet to unsettled levels are expected for day three (16 Dec).

WATCH: New video on December 14, 2012 by SDO showing two prominence events. The first event is an eruption near the western limb that produced a Coronal Mass Ejection currently visible in STEREO-A and STEREO-B imagery. The second event takes place in the northeast quadrant.

December 14, 2012 – CALIFORNIA , UNITED STATES - Scientists have discovered one of the world's weirdest volcanoes on the seafloor near the tip of Baja, Mexico. The petite dome — about 165 feet tall (50 meters) and 4,000 feet long by 1,640 feet wide (1,200 m by 500 m) — lies along the Alarcón Rise, a seafloor-spreading center. Tectonic forces are tearing the Earth's crust apart at the spreading center, creating a long rift where magma oozes toward the surface, cools and forms new ocean crust. Circling the planet like baseball seams, seafloor-spreading centers (also called mid-ocean ridges) produce copious amounts of basalt, a low-silica content lava rock that makes up the ocean crust.

These maps show the location of the Alarcón Rise, a 31-mile-long (50 kilometer) spreading center at
the mouth of the Gulf of California. Along ocean spreading ridges like the Alarcón Rise, the
seafloor is splitting apart as lava wells up from underneath. CREDIT: (c) 2012 MBARI.

But samples from the newly discovered volcano are strangely rhyolite lava, and have the highest silica content (up to 77 percent) of any rocks collected from a mid-ocean ridge, said Brian Dreyer, a geochemist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The results were presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Researchers with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered the volcano this spring, during a three-month expedition to the Gulf of California, the warm stretch of water that separates Baja from mainland Mexico. A remote-control vehicle explored the volcano, which is 7,800 feet (2,375 m) below the surface, and brought samples back to the ship. “When we picked up the rocks and got them back on the ship, we immediately noticed that they were very low density, and they were very light, glassy and gray.

The high-resolution seafloor map above was compiled using data from MBARI's mapping AUV.
The red box outlines the position of the rhyolite dome. CREDIT: (c) 2012 MBARI.

They were not the usual dark, black, shiny basalts,” Dreyer told OurAmazingPlanet. “So we immediately knew that something was unusual.” The volcano is primarily rhyolite and a silicic lava called dacite, said MBARI geologist Jennifer Paduan. “To find this along a mid-ocean ridge is a total surprise,” she told OurAmazingPlanet. Boulders and blocks the size of cars and small houses littered the steep slopes of the dome, the robot's video camera showed. Of more concern is the evidence for explosive volcanism, which is typical of rhyolite volcanoes, Paduan said. “It's only 100 kilometers [60 miles] from land. When the sun is setting, you can see Cabo,” she said. Both the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico near Alarcón Rise have cities and luxury resorts. The Gulf of California is also home to endangered sea life. Rhyolite lava carries more gas and volatiles (things that are likely to cause explosions) than basalt, and when magma meets water, it vaporizes instantly, driving an even more explosive eruption.

“There's definitely explosive deposits there, and that is of extreme concern, given that the ridge is so close to land and the tsunami potential of a big explosion there,” Paduan said. “We don't know how explosive, and that is something we are definitely trying to figure out.” Rhyolites have been found on spreading centers, but only above hot spots, such as in Iceland and the Galapagos Islands, Dreyer said. Hot spots are plumes that bring magma to the surface from deep within Earth's mantle. There is no hot spot under the Alarcón Rise, he said. Rhyolite lava typically occurs only on continents, such as in Mount St. Helen's growing dome in Washington. One possible explanation for the bizarre composition of the Alarcón dome is that continental crust snuck into the molten rock below — the spreading center is young, and continental crust lies close by. But tests of different isotopes (versions of elements with differing numbers of neutrons in the cores) in the lava samples revealed no evidence of contamination by continental crust, Dreyer said. - Our Amazing Planet.

December 14, 2012 - UNITED STATES - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has signed orders to send Patriot missiles and 400 military personnel to Turkey to defend against rocket attacks from Syria, news media reported early Friday.

A total of six Patriot missile batteries will be sent to Turkey -- two from the United States, two from Germany and two from the Netherlands, the New York Times reported. All six batteries will be under NATO's command, the newspaper said, and all six are scheduled to be operational by the end of January.

The 20-month-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has turned increasingly bloody and heavy fighting has often erupted along Syria's northern border with Turkey, which is supporting the Syrian opposition.

The Patriot system is designed to intercept aircraft or missiles. Turkey has asked NATO to deploy Patriot missiles to shore up its 900-km (560-mile) border, where it fears security may crumble as the Syrian army fights harder to contain the rebels - who have enjoyed sanctuary in Turkey. - Huffington Post.